Wild Plum Farmhouse Ale
Miner Brewing Company

this is a cool beer from a really interesting brewery. one of the more authentic use of plums i have experienced in a beer, usually if it isnt sweet, it doesnt taste like plums, and in this instance, it does. not at all a lambic, although thats kind of how they fashion it. its much more bretty than lacto forward, but has a mature wild profile, saison-esque, and fits the farmhouse bill pretty well. pinking purple in color, milky and hazy, heady and looks great in the glass. it smells and tastes tart like the skin of the plum, but its more of a wheat beer first. lots of protein and tannins and texture, its not shy on that front, and really not all that subtle on the fruit either. tangy and fresh, with a funk to match. i expected a little more of a sour here, just on the way they marketed it, but it only has mild acidity and a lot more other wildness to it that isnt a property of quick cultures on the hot side. good use of fruit, great introduction to beer from a place where i thought beer was a decade behind. this is a statement that real craft beer is happening everywhere more than it is a contribution to wild ale in general, but its excellent and i look forward to my next chance to have one...